UT football: Hicks won’t play against West Virginia

AUSTIN — In its quest to slow down one of the nation’s premiere offenses, Texas will once again be without its best linebacker.

Jordan Hicks, who led the Longhorns in tackles before hurting his hip on Sept. 15 at Ole Miss, will not be available for Saturday’s game against No. 8 West Virginia due to the injury, UT announced. Hicks also missed last week’s victory at Oklahoma State.

Hicks’ absence weakens a position from which the No. 11 Longhorns have received precious little production so far this season. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz acknowledged this week that his other linebackers, including starters Steve Edmond and Demarco Cobbs, have underperformed.

With Hicks out, the Longhorns might be forced to rely on a dime package of six defensive backs against West Virginia’s Geno Smith, the nation’s most efficient passer. But that could present a different problem, because UT is also considering pulling safety Adrian Phillips from the starting lineup due to tackling difficulties.

And in what has been a weekly ritual, kicker Anthony Fera (groin) is listed as questionable. This time, however, the Penn State transfer is coming off a week in which he practiced for the first time all season.